“New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has stopped Super 4 Seasons, a Rockland County car wash company, from running a discriminatory scam that targeted Jewish customers preparing for Passover. In the days leading up to Passover, many Jewish families clean their homes, cars, and other spaces to remove ‘chametz,’ or leavened products. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that in the weeks leading up to the holiday, Super 4 Seasons advertised a ‘Passover Special’ cleaning promotion, targeting Jewish customers, that cost more than three times the standard price for the same service. Attorney General James is requiring Super 4 Seasons to immediately stop promoting or offering any discriminatory car wash special and, if the company fails to do so, pay a $75,000 penalty,” said James’s office in a Monday press release.
“The OAG opened an investigation into Super 4 Seasons in April 2024 after receiving several complaints that the car wash company was knowingly charging Jewish customers $169 for a service that was otherwise available for just $47. As part of the investigation, OAG conducted undercover testing, interviewed complainants, and reviewed thousands of the company’s sales entries.”
“The OAG found that Super 4 Seasons had promoted similar Passover-specific services dating back to at least 2018 and that in the weeks leading up to Passover, Jewish customers had been routinely denied access to standard pricing and were falsely told that only the high-priced ‘Passover Packages’ were available. The OAG investigation also found that Super 4 Seasons persistently posted promotional signs advertising that only ‘Passover Packages and Up’ were available, falsely claiming that standard services were not offered ahead of Passover. When an OAG investigator dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing inquired about standard pricing, he was told the car wash is ‘not doing anything except shampoos and Passover cleanings right now.'”
“The car wash employee even told the investigator, ‘We are doing this just for you guys.’ However, when another OAG investigator who was not wearing Orthodox Jewish clothing asked Super 4 Seasons for the standard services, he was offered and sold standard-priced services. When he inquired about the promotion, an employee responded that it was ‘for Jews,’ adding that they needed to pay more ‘because their cars are so dirty.’ The OAG recovered sales records for this same period, confirming that regular services had in fact been provided throughout the holiday.”
“As a result of the OAG’s investigation, Super 4 Seasons will immediately stop these discriminatory practices, and is barred from promoting or advertising car wash services that allude to special pricing for religious holidays. Super 4 Seasons is also prohibited from charging Jewish customers more than other customers for the same car wash services and is not allowed to change its pricing or limit available services in the two months leading up to and during Passover. If Super 4 Seasons fails to adhere to these terms, it will be required to pay a penalty of up to $75,000.”